


Rogue and Rickless

by orphan_account



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Cosplay, Creepy Morty, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M, Morty lowkey has ptsd, Multi, Narcissism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rick is a dick, Slow Burn, Underage Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:07:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24262549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Morty has had enough of being thrown around like Rick's puppet and decides that his adventures with him are over.For once, it was Morty's turn to disappear into the universe and get away from the chaos that Rick brought into his life.
Relationships: Other Ricks/Morty Smith, Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	1. Sorry isn't Enough

**Author's Note:**

> howdy, first work in this fandom. first work in like, four years too, lol.
> 
> fasten your seats on the pain train cause this shits gonna go off the rails

It was 1:47 in the morning.

Rick was sitting alone in the garage, only a dim lamp lighting his work area. He was tinkering with a computer chip, taking big gulps of vodka in between switching tools. He was trying not to think about anything but was still thinking about _everything_.

His day had been rough; he went on an adventure without Morty so the boy could have a rest from all of the danger he was constantly being thrown into. Rick didn’t understand how fragile the boy was up until yesterday. Morty had a mental breakdown in front of Rick. It wasn’t the first time he had done this, and it was pretty normal for Morty to act out after intense situations. Rick always assumed that it was just Morty being a dramatic teenager and somehow always managed to talk his way into keeping Morty working by his side. This time however, it didn't work.

_They had barely survived this time. The two of them went out to get kyanite for one of Rick's projects, but of course the planet they landed on just had to be invaded by a hivemind entity that was out to kill both of them. Rick suspected that the Citadel had something to do with this ambush.The Citadel of Ricks wanted him neutralized after everything that he had done to the mass authority, and this time, they were almost successful in his termination._

_The standoff had been almost three hours long. The two kept running out of ammunition and power for their weapons, causing immense stress on both of them. Morty had trusted Rick to keep him safe, but this time he wasn't so sure that Rick could do that. Rick, being the genius out of the two, came up with new weapons on the spot, all the while insulting Morty for his fear of the situation. The boy was shaking as more shots were being fired their way._

_"D-do you honestly think that I can fight, oh, I don't know, tw-twenty thousand motherfuckers at-at the same time, Morty?! Make yourself fucking useful and cover me, you little p-piece of shit!" Rick screamed, spittle flying everywhere as he barked the command at Morty._

_Morty began shooting, and shooting, and shooting, his mind far off and on auto-pilot. He remembered the first time he ever shot somebody, back when Rick made him go through customs with megaseeds shoved up his ass. After a while, it became easier to shoot other beings, but that didn't mean he wanted to. Rick finally finished what he was doing and rushed to help his grandson take out the rest of the bunch._

_When the fight was finally over, both Rick and Morty were panting, covered in the alien's blood and their own. They slaughtered countless beings who were enslaved by the hivemind. Morty wondered if Rick felt any remorse for killing people who weren’t in control of themselves. He never saw Rick show any remorse for anything, not even when he destroyed universes._ _Disrupting Morty's thoughts, Rick grabbed the boy's wrist, yanking him over the piles of corpses and into a field full of the resource Rick was looking for before they were attacked._

_As they harvested the precious mineral, Morty was completely dissociated. He was reliving every single bad memory that Rick had done to him, all replaying back to back in his mind as he grabbed shards of kyanite. The two worked in silence, only grunts of pain from the battle being vocalized. They were both injured badly, but Morty knew that Rick only cared about obtaining the crystals._

_When the two had all they could carry, Rick dusted his pants off, putting himself at ease. “Alright, M-Morty. We better wrap up our little adventure here, I-I gotta take a shit.”_

_Morty looked at the countless dead bodies strewn about around them. He took back any thought that Rick might have held remorse for his actions. It became increasingly evident that Rick had no regard for life other than his own as he looked at the dead bodies. His blood began to boil as he thought about how callous his grandfather was. He snapped out of his dissociated state and turned to look at Rick._

_“Y-you never care about anyone! Not even your own damn grandson! D-do you think I like these fights? I'm always being dragged into conflict that-that I have nothing to do with! D-do you-you honestly think I-I want to live like this Rick?! Being your human shield? Have you e-ever stopped to think how-how I feel about being put into situations like this?! You’re a selfish piece of shit, Rick! You-!" The boy raged, only to be cut off by his grandfather._

_“Yeah, yeah, I know Morty, you’ve said it a million times. Y-you really think that just because you’re my grandson that I’ll give you s-special treatment, you little piece of shit? I’m not going to-"_

_“Shut up! J-Jesus, just shut-shut up Rick, I’ve had enough! Y-you know what, I’m going to tell m-mom about what you do and how you treat me, maybe then you’ll-you'll start giving a fuck! If you really think that n-nothing matters, w-why don't you just d-disappear again and let me live a normal life! Let everyone live a normal life! You constantly put everyone in danger just b-because you don’t care, and you-you know what? I don’t even care anymore either! I don’t understand why y-you keep d-doing this to me! All you do is tor-torment me and m-make my life a fucking nightmare! I hate you! I fucking hate you, R-Rick!”_

_Rick said nothing. He knew when to give up, he knew when to stop making excuses for his shitty actions. He was the smartest man in the universe but when it came to Morty, he couldn’t even hypothesize why he treated him so badly. In other dimensions, other Rick's treated their Morty's well, so he had no idea why he was so careless and cruel to his._

_He looked at the boy, who was covered in blood and sobbing. The two made eye contact, Morty’s eyes wild and full of a mixture of rage and fear. Rick looked away, his stomach wrenching. Rick felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time._

_Guilt. He did this to Morty, and he keeps doing it._

_“I-“ He tried to make up some kind of excuse, anything to make the situation even a little bit better, but was cut off by his grandson._

_“No. Sh-shut up. Take us home, right now.” Morty demanded. Rick reached into his coat pocket, grabbing the portal gun. He set the coordinates, and the two left the planet without a word._

_Once they warped back into the house, Morty dropped the kyanite shards onto the cold cement floor of the garage and went straight to his bedroom, slamming the door on his way out. Rick stayed in the garage and stared at the pile of shards on the floor. He knew he fucked up big time._

Rick’s stomach wrenched as his mind was flooded by images of Morty’s puffy, sobbing face. He took a long drink from the bottle of vodka, emptying it and tossing it aside with the other empty bottles from earlier that night. No matter how much he drank, it was never enough to completely numb himself. He needed more, and he needed it badly.

Rick got up from his seat, went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of Beth’s wine from the fridge. He knew his daughter had alcohol problem too, which was another source of guilt he tried to drink away. It was his fault that Beth turned out the way she did. If only he was there more, if he was emotionally available, maybe she would have turned out better. He blamed Jerry as well, but at least Jerry never abandoned her. So many of the problems in the family were a result of his actions. Rubbing his bloodshot eyes, he looked at the alcohol percentage on the side of the bottle. 12.5%... It wasn’t high enough, but it was better than nothing.

Creeping his way back into the garage, he popped the bottle’s cork and began drinking straight from the bottle and tinkering with the chip once again.

When the computer chip he was working on was finally complete, he put his tools down and set the empty bottle aside, dragging his arm across his forehead and staring up at the ceiling. He wondered if Morty was asleep. Rick wanted to check up on him so badly, wanted to comfort him, but he knew that wasn't an option. The thought quickly left his mind when he remembered what the computer chip was for.

Getting up from his seat again, he rummaged through his stuff in the garage and pulled the Mortybot out from of his pile of junk. 

When he created the Mortybot, he had no intention of giving him any real sort of sentience. The feelings that Mortybot developed for Beth was something that just… happened on its own. Rick had no idea how that behavior came about, but watching the robot act so… human made him wonder what else he could make the bot do. The new computer chip he was going to install would give Mortybot a range of emotions and hopefully make him more... Morty. He went back to his seat, dragging the metal husk along with him.

Rick turned the bot to face away from him and opened the hatch on the back of the robot’s head. He took out the “normal family interaction bullshit” chip and replaced it with the new one that he had been working on. After it snapped into place, Rick froze.

_Should I really be doing this… I could go upstairs and try to fix everything. I don't have to do this, I can go upstairs and sort everything out. I don't have to do this._

_I could... I could try to... Fuck it. He wouldn't listen anyway._

“M-Mooough-rtybot, turn on.” He commanded, watching as the robot came to life and stood to face him.

“H-hi Rick.” Mortybot said shyly, and Rick smiled sadly.

_Almost like the real thing. Almost._

“M-Morty, come-come ‘ere. S-sit on grandpa’s lap.” Rick took out his flask, taking a long drink as the robot followed his command and sat down on his knee. The bot was a lot heavier than Morty was, but this was the closest he could get to his grandson. “Mouuugh-rghty, I-I’m sorry. For what happened yesterday. I-I really, really fucked up babe-baby, I ruined what we had goouuugh-ing on, and I’m so-I’m sorry.” Rick gagged and hiccuped as the alcohol started taking over. 

Mortyboy smiled and wiped the spittle that was dripping off of Rick’s bottom lip and chin affectionately. Just like Rick wanted. He wanted the bot to show him love and comfort him. 

“It-it’s okay, grandpa Rick. I-I know-know you need me for reasons to do with my intelligence. I-I'm here to protect you, right?”

“I n- I need you- I need you for more than just that reeeeough-ason M-Morty. Y-y-you don’t get it, but you’re-you’re more than just a human shield, you-you’re my grandson. I love you Morty, but-but I can’t let my feelings get in the way. Something in Grandpa just isn’t right. Gran-grandpa doesn’t know how he really-really feels sometimes. Grandpa loouuugh-ves you so much, and he’s sorry for e-everything he put you through,” Rick started to tear up, his drunken self taking over. “Y-you know, I’m scared to lose you more than Beth, or even Summer. J-Jerry can go fuck himself, but you already knoouuugh-w how I feel about that idiot.”

Mortybot just looked at him, his motherboard probably starting to overheat due to all of the information being thrown at him by his drunken grandpa. The robot said nothing to Rick’s drunken ramblings but instead reached his arms out to embrace the older man. Rick started sobbing and wrapped his arms around the robot. The cold, unfeeling metal did nothing to stop Rick’s drunken hiccups and sobs. He held onto Mortybot tightly as if he would disappear at any second. Just like him.

Rick rocked back and forth, cradling the bot in his arms, silently sobbing. 

* * *

Upstairs, Morty laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

He was tired of being Rick’s puppet, tired of being constantly thrown around to defend Rick. He had missed so much school, so many opportunities, and most importantly, a chance to be normal. Rick took everything away from him. He couldn’t handle certain social situations because they reminded him of terrible things that have happened to him due to Rick's carelessness. Who cared if he could dismantle bombs or shoot to kill, he could barely pass any of his classes because of Rick. Sure, he had trouble in school before, but now that Rick dominated all aspects of his life, he was doing worse than ever. 

The boy sighed, turning onto his side. Even though Rick treated him so badly, he still felt bad for blowing up on him. Rick only ever ran from the problems that he created, he never did anything to solve them. He left his mom, his family, and even now, he leaves for months at a time when he fucks up. It wasn’t fair that whenever he made messes, Morty had to clean up the remains. 

He remembered how embarrassed and humiliated he felt during the last Vindicator's mission that the two went on. Nobody liked Rick, and it became Morty’s problem, as always. Rick was such a narcissistic old piece of shit and it was always Morty’s job to cool down arguments that Rick got himself into. If the constant conflict wasn’t bad enough, the last task in blackout-Rick’s “game” felt like the biggest _fuck you_ Morty had ever felt. 

He hated Rick, but he also understood why Rick was the way he was. It was very difficult for the boy to stay angry at his grandfather, but this time, he had to stick to it. He couldn’t keep forgiving him and repeating this fucked up cycle, it was self sabotage at this point.

Suddenly, Morty had an idea. He didn't know how he would go about doing it, but it seemed like a viable option.

He was going to leave, just like Rick does. He was going to go somewhere far away from Rick, maybe then Rick would care. It was Rick's turn to be abandoned. It was his turn to _hurt._

He went down to the garage, hoping to sneak the portal gun. Slowly turning the doorknob, he peered inside, hoping to see Rick drunk and passed out at his work station. What he saw surprised the _shit_ out of him.

Rick was _cradling_ the Mortybot and weeping quietly.


	2. Goodbye, Rick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morty leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by nobody because i have no friends :^)

Morty opened the garage door quietly, peering inside, only to let out a small gasp. 

Rick was _cradling_ the Mortybot and weeping quietly.

Morty could not believe what he was looking at. His grandpa, who seemingly _hated_ his guts and made his life a living hell, was crying and hugging a robot was modeled after him. Rick hadn't noticed Morty yet, so the boy watched a little longer in morbid curiosity. Rick was holding the bot close to his chest, rocking him almost like a mother would do with a crying baby. Morty thought about the photograph of Rick holding him as an infant and his heart began to ache. 

_Is this just him trying to make himself feel better for being such an asshole to me?_ Morty thought, looking at the gentle and vulnerable display in front of him. _And if it is, how many times has he done this?_

“Rick.” Morty called out, tone serious and unwavering. The older man quickly looked back at him, his eyes wide with fear and full of tears. He dropped the Mortybot on the hard cement floor, standing up quickly. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and tried to gain his composure.

There was an awkward silence. Rick looked behind himself, swaying slightly. 

“I-I was just ch-checking to see if-if it was still functiooough-nal.” Rick was lying. Morty wasn’t as stupid as Rick thought he was, and over the years, Morty knew when Rick was trying to cover his own ass. He could smell the strong scent of alcohol six meters away from Rick. Morty knew that Rick was bordering a blackout, as he was swaying and his eyes began drooping more than usual. "I-I j-j-just, I-In case, ouuuugh-f an e-emergency."

 _I don't have time for this shit..._ Morty's irritation grew just hearing the drunkard ramble on about his "reason". 

“G-give me your portal gun.” Morty demanded, his eyes piercing into Rick’s soul, given he still had one after all of the twisted shit he'd done in his life. Rick stared at him blankly, then broke out into a fit of laughter. 

“How about: fuck no, you little-you worthless little turd.” Rick slurred, then proceeded to stumble over the Mortybot and fell into the pile of bottles scattering the floor. Morty flinched at the loud noise but kept his calm exterior, watching the older man. Rick was still for a few seconds, then started heaving and gagging. Vomit soon spilled all over the floor, Rick's head laying in the vile puddle. The scent hit Morty like a wall of bricks, and he curled his lip up in disgust. It wasn't the first time he had seen this, and he really, really hoped that it would be the last. 

Morty averted his eyes. He didn’t feel sorry for Rick, at least not anymore. Before, he would have hoisted Rick onto his small shoulders and drag him to bed, but now he couldn’t be bothered to pull him out of the growing puddle.

 _Good_ he thought. _Just stay like that, you pitiful old man… You deserve this._

Rick slowly lifted his head, face covered in small chunks of half-digested food and bile. He made eye contact with Morty, eyes pleading silently.

"I-I... D-don't leave me. Please," Rick's voice was hoarse. "please. Don't leave me."

He maintained the intense eye contact for a few more seconds, then fell into the pile of his vomit again, the sound of his skull hitting the cement floor resonating throughout the garage. 

Morty slowly and cautiously walked over to Rick’s unconscious body, carefully stepping over the puddle of vomit. The portal gun was right on the table; his escape was within his grasp, and his heart was pounding with anxiety and excitement. He looked back at Rick’s body, then back to the portal gun.

He needed to tell his family that he was leaving, but knew that doing it in person would lead to him staying out of guilt. He decided that writing letters to each of his family members would be the most appropriate farewell in this situation. He searched Rick's messy workstation for a pen and a few sheets of paper. 

-

_Mom and Dad,_

_I can't do this face to face, I'm sorry._

_I’m sorry that it has come to this, but I can’t take the mental torture anymore. Rick has been ruining my life from the first moment he came into the household. I was too scared to say anything about it to you guys, mostly because I don't want him to be sent to a retirement home. It's funny... He's put me through so many dangerous situations, but I still try to protect him. I've seen so much, but so little of what the universe has to offer. I'm taking Rick's portal gun and leaving. I don't know if I will be back._

_You two should try to make things right with each other. Summer would be so much happier, and you guys would too._

_I love you both so much, but I need to do this._

_Goodbye._

_Morty_

_-_

Once he finished writing his letter to his mom and dad, he folded it neatly and placed it to the side. Two more to go.

-

_Summer,_

_I know we don’t always get along and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for sneaking into your room and going through your things. I’ve done it more than once, and I’m sorry for that. I’m also sorry for using your friends as fap material. That isn’t cool of me. Also, you don't need to change to make boys like you. You'll find someone for you eventually, and they'll like you for who you are._

_Anyway, I’m leaving. I’m going somewhere where Rick won’t follow me, because I can’t handle the way he treats me anymore. He calls me worthless and useless daily, and I’m starting to believe it. My self esteem is so low, and I can't let this keep happening to me._

_There’s no point in staying on this planet when it feels like nobody wants me around, you know?_

_Be good to mom, dad, and yourself._

_I’ll see you around, Summer._

_PS. Fuck Ethan. He's a scumbag, stop thinking about him._

_Morty_

_-_

Morty looked at a third piece of paper. Did Rick really deserve a letter from him? Did he even deserve an explanation? He looked back at his grandfather who was passed out and snoring loudly. No matter how much resentment he felt for his grandfather, he decided that writing those feelings would alleviate some emotional pain for him. 

-

_Grandpa Rick,_

_I don’t know what I’ve done to make you hate me so much. I’ve always been there for you when you needed help with your work, and I let you control every aspect of my life. I missed so much school, missed chances to build healthy relationships with people my age... You have kept me isolated for years. It wouldn't have been this bad if you showed me kindness and encouragement instead of how you treat me currently. I really hope you get sober and get your shit together._

_I don’t know what else you want from me, and I can’t give you any more than I already am. As I’m writing this, you’re laying in a pool of your own vomit. I won’t move your body because I’m scared that you’ll wake up and snap at me like you usually do in this situation. Do you remember any of the things you've done to me, Rick? When I had all of those bruises on my face last month, they weren't from bullies at school like I told you they were. They were from you. I tried to help you get to bed, and you started beating me. This has happened many times before._

_I try to forget all of that stuff, Rick. I really do. I know you have problems, but that doesn't mean I can't be angry about it._

_I’m leaving. I’m taking the portal gun and I’m going somewhere where I know you won’t follow me. I truly believe that you’ve ruined my life, Rick. You're the reason I hate myself so much... I look in the mirror and only see a worthless, good-for-nothing idiot. I know that you don’t care, and that is why I can’t live here anymore. I know if I stay that you'll just keep hurting me. You’ve taken so much from me, and you’ve given so little in return…_

_I don’t hate you, Rick. I hate the way you treat me. I wish we could have had a better bond that wasn’t founded on the basis of superiority and inferiority. I’m going to the Citadel to see if there are any Ricks who would be willing to take me as their own._

_I'll let you decide if you want to give the other letters to mom, dad, and Summer. You can choose to let them know the truth, or you can bullshit your way out of it like you normally would do._

_I hope we never cross paths again, Rick. I really mean that._

_Morty_

-

Morty wiped the tears running down his cheeks and grabbed the portal gun. Rick had shown him how to use it correctly, perhaps a mistake on his part, so Morty felt confident enough to know where he would be going.

He was going to go to the Citadel. He knew that there were Rickless Mortys and Mortyless Ricks there, so there was a chance that he could be taken in by a Rick who would actually care about him. The thought of having a Grandpa Rick who didn't hate his guts and treated him like a human made his heart swell with excitement. Entering the coordinates into the portal gun, he opened a portal against the garage wall and stepped inside.

When he emerged from the other side of the portal, he found himself in a dark, wet alley. The smell of aerosol and garbage filled his senses, but it was better than the smell of Rick's vomit, still lingering on the other side of the now shrinking portal. Morty concealed the portal gun in the yellow pullover hoodie he was wearing and looked around cautiously. 

_Well, shit._ He thought. He was nowhere near the main part of the Citadel and to make things worse, he had never been in this area of it before. 

Walking out of the alley, he saw a couple other Mortys spray painting the side of a building. They looked like trouble, so he walked the other way. Morty pulled his hood over his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He started thinking about Rick again.

_I wonder if he's still laying on the floor in the garage. I hope he's okay... I shouldn't worry, I know he'll be okay. He does this every night, right? He clearly knows how to take care of himself when he's had to much to drink. But..._

Intrusive thoughts began to take over his mind.

_What if he has severe alcohol poisoning? What if he's never been this intoxicated before?_

_Oh God, he got that wrecked because he's upset with me, this is my fault..._

_He's probably going to die because you didn't push him onto his side, he's going to choke..._

_He's probably going to drown in his own vomit because YOU didn't do anything._

_It was your fault in the first place that he was drinking that much._

_YOU did this to him._

"N-no, I-I..." Morty whispered to himself, trying to calm the thoughts and images that were plaguing his mind. He started reaching for the portal gun, desperate to get back to his grandpa who could be dying.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Morty's shoulder and pulled him into one of the businesses along the strip he was walking. 

“Wha-!” Morty tried to scream, but a hand slammed over his mouth to silence his call for help. He began to flail and attempt to escape, immediately regretting his decision to ever come here. His captor quickly slipped a blindfold over his eyes, and Morty tried to scream out yet again when his mouth was free.

“Sh-shut up… Just stop fighting and l-let me help you.” The voice was another Morty. Confusion filled Morty’s head; why would another version of himself be doing this to him? “I’ll take the blindfold off when we get to the back…”

Morty stopped wriggling and trying to scream. He held his breath, trying to mitigate the panic rising within him. When they arrived at the back of the business, the Morty who was restraining him tied his hands together behind his back and made him sit on a surprisingly comfortable chair. His breathing became more erratic when he heard a door open then slam. Heavy footsteps came closer to where he was sitting, then stopped right in front of him. 

“What dimension are you from?” It was… the voice of a Rick. He began to think about his Rick again, forgetting about his current situation.

_I need to get out of here, I need to go back home and I need to get Rick to bed-_

His thoughts were interrupted by the Rick kicking his shin lightly, causing Morty to jump and gasp in surprise. "I asked you a question. A-answer me, Morty."

“U-uh, I’m um, I’m from dimension C-137…” Morty said, nervous as ever. The Rick sighed loudly and pulled the blindfold off of him. It took a few seconds for Morty to adjust to the lighting, but when his vision became clearer, he noted that the Rick in front of him look exactly like his. The Rick in front of him was wearing a light blue button up and black slacks, which was the only difference from his Rick. 

His eyes welled with tears, and a layer of sweat coated his forehead. The Rick's eyes widened slightly when he saw the state of Morty's body. 

“So you’re _his_ Morty…” The Rick muttered to himself, looking at the boy carefully. “Did _he_ do that to you?”

“W-what, I-I don’t know-“

“The bruises and cuts on your body and face. Did _he_ do that to _you?”_ The Rick asked again, his tone serious and unyielding. 

“O-oh! Um, n-no, but w-we got into a… a really s-scary situation and I-I had to… To do a lot of bad things to-to stay a-alive.” Morty looked at the ground. The Rick got level so he could look directly into Morty’s eyes. Morty tried to turn his head away, but the Rick grasped his chin and forced him to make eye contact.

“You don’t have to lie, Morty. We all know about Rick C-137 and how _careless_ he is with his Morty.” Being face-to-face with a Rick who he knew nothing about struck fear into Morty. He didn’t know his warning signs, what made him angry, what would make him snap; he was waiting to be struck or insulted for his incompetence.

“I-I’m not… I’m not lying to c-cover him, I swear. It wasn’t h-him this t-time, anyway.” Morty spoke quickly, hoping that his answer would be enough for the Rick to let go of him. The Rick sighed heavily once again, letting go of Morty’s face. Morty looked up at the man. 

“Why are you here then?” The Rick asked, eyes expectant for a real answer.

“Well, I’m-I'm here because someone p-pulled me into wherever this is…” Obviously not satisfied with his answer, the Rick rubbed his palm against his forehead in frustration. The act made Morty curl in on himself, turning his head to the side and closing his eyes. The Rick looked at him, realizing that the kid was bracing for impact and was expecting to be struck in the face. 

Seconds passed, and Morty slowly began open his eyes cautiously. 

"Morty. I'm n-not here to hurt you. I-I just want a little bit of i-information, okay buddy?"

"O-ok-kay." When he saw Morty visibly calmer, he began to ask more questions. 

“ _W_ _hy_ are you not on your own planet?”

“O-oh. W-well, my R-Rick doesn’t care about me. H-he keeps... keeps doing cruel things, and I couldn’t handle it anymore… I knew that-that in the Citadel, there were R-Ricks who didn’t have Mortys, so I thought…” Morty trailed off, only to be shushed by the Rick who was questioning him.

“That’s correct. Do you know where we are, Morty?” The Rick asked, although he knew that Morty likely didn’t know. The boy shook his head. “We’re in MortyTown, but this business is called the Creepy Morty. Ricks who don’t have Mortys come here to entertain themselves, h-hell, some Morty's come here to be entertained as well." Morty stayed silent, so the Rick continued talking. "We also offer other types of services, ranging from Maid Morty services, down to lap dances and other sexual services. All of the Mortys that work here have a choice in what they want to do."

“I-isn’t this just… human trafficking w-with extra steps...?” Morty asked, fearing what his future had in store for him, all because of one stupid choice. 

“I guess, in a way, yes. But, like I s-said, it’s purely your choice. We take good care of our Morty’s here. If you participate in the shows that we have, you can stay here for free, eat for free; whatever you want, it’s free. That also goes for the other services we offer here.”

“Th-that doesn’t s-sound bad, I guess…” Morty couldn’t believe that he was actually considering this as an option. Going back to his Rick was not an option, and he made sure to remind himself of that. The Rick walked behind him, and untied his hands. His touch was gentle and soft, combating the rough and strong grip of his Rick. 

“I’ll bring in some other Mortys to talk about what the conditions are like living here, you can ask them as many questions as you want. You're a cute one, so I hope you decide to stay, but I wish you luck on whatever path you choose, Morty. If you want to stay, tell them to bring me back in and I'll make you a file.” 

With that, the Rick left the room and four Mortys entered. They were all smiling and giggling among themselves, something Morty never seemed to do anymore. Each of them had altered appearances, likely as a way tell them apart. There was one Morty with a cowboy hat on, one who was dressed in a tuxedo, one who was wearing kitty ears, and one who was wearing a red shirt instead of the classic yellow that most Mortys wore.

“U-uh, hi?” Morty’s voice was quiet as the four approached him. The other Mortys sat on the floor in front of the chair he was sitting in. 

“H-howdy!” chirped Cowboy Morty. The others greeted Morty as well and asked if he had any questions. He had a lot. 

“S-so uh, a-are you guys allowed to-to leave whenever you w-want?” Morty asked, eliciting laughter from all four Mortys in front of him.

“Of c-course we can, but why would we w-want to? W-we get taken care of here, and there’s security everywhere to p-protect us.” Red shirt Morty spoke up. The other three nodded in agreement.

_Where are your Ricks? Did you leave because they were bad people?_

“So, w-what do you guys… do?” Morty was curious about what kind of options he had. 

“W-well I’m a bartender here! I just mix drinks for our-our customers. I get a lot of t-tips, all of which I get to keep! A-any tips we get, Rick lets us keep f-for ourselves.” The Morty wearing the tuxedo said, his smile genuine and bright. 

_Did your Rick's abuse you? Control every aspect of your life?_

“I like to d-dance… I r-really like the a-attention I get from all of the R-Ricks who come in here. They-they're all so n-nice.” Cowboy Morty admitted shyly, earning a bump on the shoulder from red shirt Morty, whose smile was coy and knowing.

_Did your Rick call you ugly? Worthless?_

“As for m-me, I like to dance as well, but I also d-do private shows for our highest p-paying customers, also my choice.” Red shirt Morty added, seemingly unashamed of what acts he did.

_Did your Rick fuck you? Did he force you into his lap and molest you when he was drunk?_

“I cosplay f-for dirty minded Ricks. That’s uh… Th-that’s about it. Th-these c-cat ears are for one of my next clients, I just ch-change into whatever they want.” Morty looked at Kitty Morty’s face and noticed a feint blush and smile on his face.

"A-are all of the customers um... n-nice?" Still scared of being mistreated again, Morty sought out reinforcement. 

"Sometimes we g-get Rick's who are... n-not very great, b-but we have alerting d-devices to let se-security know!" Kitty Morty answered. 

"A-and that R-Rick who was..." Morty started trailing off. Tuxedo Morty stood up, crossing his arms confidently. 

"Th-that Rick who w-was just in here? H-he would fight, no _kill_ , a-anyone who would try to hurt us. H-he is the best R-Rick I have ever met. Aw jeez, I just, I l-love that man, he got me out of a really b-bad situation. I o-owe him my life." 

Morty asked a few more questions, to which none of the answers raised concern to him. Morty thought about what kind of job he wanted to do here. He wasn't one to mix drinks, or dance in front of an audience, but the idea of dressing up for paying Rick's intrigued him. 

“So… If I ch-choose to stay here and work, um… Do I get to choose m-my job? L-like, u-um, if I-I wanted to do c-cosplay and stuff, I-I could...?”

“Yep!” All four Mortys exclaimed in unison.

Morty thought back to how awful Rick had treated him, and how it seemed like nobody cared about him at home. The lack of attention he got from his family crushed his self-esteem, so the idea of being sought after solely because he was a _Morty_ made his heart race with excitement.

“I-I think I’ll stay then.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **creepy morty concept is changed a liiiittle bit because, yknow, ideas n shit
> 
> as they say in canada, peace ooooooot

**Author's Note:**

> next update will prob be in a couple days, im hyped to write more. 
> 
> take care ❤


End file.
